We all make this decision at some point in the year: get back

to sport! To get back to it once and for all, follow these 9 tips!




Is there a  perfect time to exercise ? Morning or evening? 

It's not always easy to exercise, but the best time to do it

may surprise you! 

New studies show that people who start training early in

the morning are more likely to stick with their program

than those who train in the evening or after work.


   

                          


One morning, we get up and we jostle! We want to feel better in our body and

in our mind. We want to rediscover this feeling of well-being after a sports

session, we want to be able to speak again after having climbed 2 floors, we

want to have a potato every morning when we wake up! So we take things in

hand and we get back to it...

To what? AT THE SPORTS ! Move, dance, jump, run EVERYTHING!

We want to do everything and that's when I tell you "it's great, great initiative!

But be careful, a recovery yes, but not just anyhow!". Go back to sport gently,

prepare your body to get back in shape, all without the risk of injury. Here, we

have everything you need!


TIP NO1: DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVE TO RETURN TO SPORT

Before wanting to get back to sport after a long period, it is essential to set a

goal! Whether it's sports, health or well-being, it's what will motivate you to put

on sneakers or jogging at each session.

The first question you will ask yourself is therefore: Why am I going to start a

sports activity? To lose weight ? Feel stronger? Feel my body stronger?

Reduce my back pain? Be less breathless? To be able to run with my children

or grandchildren?

There are no small goals, whether it's preparing for a 5 KM run with a group of

colleagues or just knowing how to put your socks on one foot, here we go!

With this purpose, you will be able to define your training program and your

cruising speed.



TIP NO2: SURROUND YOURSELF WELL TO RESUME SPORT

To help you set a training schedule suited to your goal, nothing beats seeking

the advice of a certified sports coach . At best, take stock of your physical

condition. A few personalized coaching sessions will be ideal to start on a good

basis. The support of the coaches is invaluable: reinvigorated, you then work

with a specific goal, well supervised.

It is also necessary to have a good para-medical entourage. An osteopath and

a physiotherapist you trust and who can guide you on the exercises to favor

according to your posture and your morphology. Of course the doctoris always

the starting point for a safe recovery, when you resume sport at 25 it's not the

same as at 45!




TIP NO3: PREPARE WELL TO RESUME SPORT

Before a sports session, choose a comfortable outfit. No need to bet everything

on style, prefer sports clothes in which you feel comfortable to move and in

which you feel proud.

At the start of your session, warming up is mandatory ! If you are supervised by

a coach, he will take care of it. If you are alone, remember that the warm-up

prepares the skeleton, the muscles, the heart and your brain for the physical

activity that will follow: 



WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF WARMING UP?

" A warm-up is an activity that we practice to reach the optimal physical and

psychological condition before a sporting activity, explains Matthieu Almoyner.

That said, at present, no reliable study demonstrates the effectiveness of a

warm-up on the improvement of sports performance or the prevention of

injuries."

In a word, everyone (coaches and athletes) agrees that warming up is good for

the organism and the mind of athletes but, from a scientific point of view,

nothing proves that it prevents injuries...


The point of warming up is to increase body and muscle temperature in

particular.

prepare for a more intense effort , to put it in the best conditions. Warming up

therefore makes it possible to:

- raise the heart rate to prepare the heart for exercise,

- increase the oxygenation of all the organs thanks to the rise in body

temperature which dilates the blood vessels,

- beyond the heart, put all the muscles and joints in condition ,

- secure the practice : progressive physical activity is essential not to put your

heart, arteries, muscles and joints (neck, wrists, ankles, knees, back. ..)

in difficulty of adaptation.

- enter the heart of the activity: the physical ritual of warming up helps to refocus

psychologically and physiologically on this new activity of the day by moving from

a state of relative rest to a state of readiness for effort.

What's more, we feel better and more concentrated in a warm body

than in a cold one.



TIP NO4: PLEASURE AND VARIETY TO RETURN TO SPORT

Making good resolutions and resuming a sporting activity is a good thing.

But keeping up the pace is another. To avoid getting bored too quickly, it is

necessary to vary the sports sessions. Do not just do one and the same

activity or always follow the same course. You risk getting bored, and therefore

giving up.


Do one or more activities that make you happy and in which you feel that you

are progressing! In addition, always remember to reserve the same time slot

in your agenda for yoursports activity, YOUR moment! Nothing and no one

should stop you from doing yourself good and certainly not you

(even with the ton of excuses you can find when you're lazy...;)!

Remember the pleasure and pride you feel after this sporting moment:

inhale and go for it! Regularity and pleasure are partners that get along

well when you resume a sporting activity.




TIP NO.5: FIND THE RIGHT RHYTHM

"To get real results, how often should I train?" Well, it all depends on your goal!

For a physical maintenance you can very well do small sessions of 15 minutes every

day. If you have a more ambitious objective, in the order of performance, mass gain

or weight loss, the coaches recommend a minimum of 3 sports sessions during the

week between 45 minutes and 1 hour. In the latter case, always make sure to have

moments of recovery, and yes rest is also part of the training just like your diet, your

hydration and your sleep!





TIP NO6: HAVE THE RIGHT REFLEXES

Remember to stay hydrated throughout training, it's important! Proper hydration

provides

the nutrients needed for proper muscle function and encourages the recovery process.

Above all, stay focused and manage your training in relation to your own physical

abilities, not those of your neighbor. At the end of the session, don't forget the

cool-down phase: breathe deeply and calmly, walk for a few minutes and finish with

stretching exercises without forcing. Cooling down is almost as important as warming

up, it tells your body and mind that the session is over.

So you can quietly move on to something else...



TIP NO.7: STAY MOTIVATED

If you decide to resume physical activity, it is always more motivating to meet up

as a couple or with friends or family. Doing sports together means encouraging

each other while enjoying the exercise sessions as real dates. It becomes easier

to keep square to resume the sport and thus forget the effort.


The ideal is to work in pairswith a person whose physical condition is close to

yours. A "sports buddy" that you will see sweating, struggling, progressing,

"a sports buddy" with whom you can discuss the sessions you have experienced

together. A good pair of giggles awaits you! Small warning all the same:

keep in mind that you are doing this for you and your pleasure because the risk

of clinging to your partner is that when one cannot do the session, the other

does not go. not either...





TIP NO.8: THINK ABOUT RECOVERY


After a long period without playing sports, the body needs time to regain its bearings

and that's normal! Aches, tensions, contractures can be invited to your recovery but

should not slow you down. For that, you have to take breaks, know that recovery times

are strongly recommended for a successful sports recovery, they are part of your

training! Discover our tips for a good recovery.


TIP NO.9: EAT SMART

Resuming sport is good but on condition that you review your lifestyle and therefore

your diet! To eat a balanced diet, a few rules are essential:

- Eat morning, noon and evening.

- The snack: take a compote, a fruit or a cereal bar

- The 100% balanced plate: one third of starchy foods (pasta, rice), one third of proteins

(fish, eggs, meat), one third of vegetables.

- Zero frustration: a small gap from time to time doesn't hurt, the balance is made over

time... (so for gourmets, yes to the small square of chocolate, reasonably).




BONUS TIP: SPORTS TRAVEL

Get back to sport during your holidays with Decathlon Travel


What if you resume sport quietly at your own pace in a dream setting? Decathlon

Travel's 340 sporting stays in more than 40 destinations in France and elsewhere

are an ideal opportunity to discover a new sport or start on a good footing. To find

a stay suitable for the recovery, opt for the “discovery” stays accessible to all.

Snorkeling stay in the Red Sea, hiking in the Canary Islands, cycling in

Cappadocia… There is something for everyone.




BONUS TIP: SPORTS TRAVEL

Get back to sport during your holidays with Decathlon Travel

What if you resume sport quietly at your own pace in a dream setting?

Decathlon Travel's 340 sporting stays in more than 40 destinations in France

and elsewhere are an ideal opportunity to discover a new sport or start on a

good footing. To find a stay suitable for the recovery, opt for the “discovery”

stays accessible to all. Snorkeling stay in the Red Sea, hiking in the Canary

Islands, cycling in Cappadocia… There is something for everyone.


RETURNING TO SPORT AT 50

Osteoarthritis, hypertension, sciatic nerve, cholesterol, diabetes etc. Ugh!

If you too have just heard these sweet words from your doctor, you are probably

over 50 years old. Not even hurt ! Do you want to get back to sport?

Before you start, follow these tips!